Over the weekend I finally gained some key Kansas City knowledge, how to use a smoker for cooking. Our friend Todd gave us a smoker shortly after we moved into our house. He won it on eBay and then realized that he had nowhere to put it at his apartment complex. I gladly accepted the device and even put it together, but then it sat covered and unused for many weeks. That was until this past Saturday afternoon.

I asked Phil “Dr. Brisket” Kenagy to come over and assist me in smoking a couple of chickens. We did one “beer butt chicken” and another chicken with a can of Pepsi inside. If you’ve never heard of this BBQ method, it involves a whole chicken that is resting on a can of your favorite beverage. This helps to keep the bird nice and moist and also adds even more flavor. I forgot to keep track of which was which, so I’m not sure if one was better than the other, but I must say that it was all very tasty.

After a pool party up at Woodside we had a little after party at our house. Kim and Amy, who was in town for the weekend and desperately needs to update her blog, put together lots of side dishes for the party. Everyone in attendance agreed that the chicken was really good. Phil and I think that we may have cooked it just a bit too long, but it was definitely a successful first effort. The guys over at Triple Fat Back Barbeque better watch out!